S Club Mama

Awhile back, I was at my friend Kara's house playing having a playdate. Of course, Squirt acted as if their toys were way cooler than ours at home (which they are!) and he pulled out this bag full of little bean-like things with other small items inside. I asked Kara what it was and she said that another friend uses them for her kids during church. Something quiet to play with. These I Spy bags immediately caught my attention and I have been wanting one for my boys since. I am so blessed to have worked with Giggle Junction on this review. She makes adorable I Spy bags!!! There are so many I think are cute: Lightning McQueen (probably would have sparked Moose's attention more), turtle ones, this cute cell phone/texting one, and these cute party packs!  I think the party packs are a great idea - you can get one larger I Spy Bag & 8 mini bags. Perfect for birthday parties or classroom parties. They have princess , fireman , sand castles , Toy Story , and custom party p...

Preschoolers are at such a tender age where they are learning so many new things, so it's a perfect time to introduce them to their ABCs and 123s (if you haven't already started!). We watched Animal ABCs and Animal 123 s DVDs from NCircle Entertainment. I thought Squirt would enjoy these more than Moose...but Moose really liked them and Squirt was...squirmy. They did watch these in our van, so I think it was just the time being strapped in a car seat that made him upset, but either way, Moose really enjoyed the DVDs. I like DVDs that are educational and not super complicated like so many shows and movies today. Kids get overloaded with sensory things!! I figured that Moose would like these since he liked the shows Puppy Party and Kitten Party from NCircle. It's great learning for the kids. Each DVD includes fun facts, original songs, and a bonus feature of flash cards. We haven't used the flash cards but what a great feature! To pre-order your DVDs, check out the N...

I had the opportunity to review a few items from Aurora's new line: " Are We There Yet ." Aurora World Inc. is known for these popular items: YooHoo & Friends ™, Milly ™, Dreamy Eyes ™ and many more popular plush toy and gift brands and characters. Their new line features plush toys, backpacks (with the "leashes" - I totally need those for my kids), neck rests, and "My Name Is" ID tags - everything you need to make it from Point A to Point B on vacation, trip to Grandma's, or even across town. The line is based on Aurora's popular monkey character, Cheeky Charlie, and his jungle pals! We received a monkey neck rest and two "My Name Is" ID tags.  We went on a trip out to my parents' house just after receiving these items. I couldn't get Moose to keep the neck rest on at all; I don't think he likes the feeling of something around his neck (I've noticed when he wears his Superman cape, he dislikes how tight it is on...

Squirt waiting for Mommy & Daddy to run by.  The half marathon started & ended at Trails & Rails Museum in Kearney, NE. So of course, we had to check out the train. This is me and the boys looking out of the engine. Choo-choo! I love their hair blowing! And now Moose's preschool senior pictures. ha! Such handsome boys I have! Thanks to my dad, Randy, for taking all of these great pictures!

Darlene from Time-Warp Wife (and co-author of ReShaping It All) is hosting a contest: My Husband Rocks. Well, Big A is just that. He's my husband. He rocks. I'll share why. Top 10 Reasons Big A is the Rockingest Husband 1. He LOVINGLY persuaded me to run. How many guys can tell you in a loving manner to start running? 2. He's the hardest working husband. Whether it's building fence, changing diapers, being a human jungle gym, running 13.1 miles, lifting millions of pounds of weights (ok maybe not THAT much but a lot), doing schematics, mowing the lawn, leading Sunday School class at the last minute, leaving for Indiana with 30 minutes' notice for work, playing slowpitch softball - whatever. Big A does it with all of his heart and all of his soul. Every time. 3. He is the fun parent - and I'm glad to let him be that way. I don't like being a human jungle gym. I greatly dislike when our 1-year-old bounces up and down on my stomach. Big A gladly lets hi...

This is me just before I finished in 2:11:00 - awesome! I know I look dorky with the waterbottle stuck in my shirt/sports bra, but that's how I roll. I really really hate carrying water. I also do not like my profile. I'm not sure how I feel about my hydration belt either. It bounced so badly at the start of the half, I had to dump my back two water bottles within the first 3 miles. Ugh. Should've gotten a medium belt but then Big A would never be able to use it. My shirt is also cute but too short to wear with the belt. It kept un-tucking and annoying me. This is Big A just before his 2:12-13:00 finish. That's right, folks. I beat him! Don't look to that happening again, but it felt really good. He started out so fast that I think it just hurt him. His first two miles had to be about 8-8:30 minute miles. Then, of course, his poor nipples. He wants to shave and use band-aids. I want him to not shave and use Body Glide. The route was nice and flat! A little headwi...

My friend, Cori, wrote a post about her daughter's huge puking experience and said she just doesn't have the stomach for that. Well, I normally don't have the stomach...a really bad diaper can leave me gagging. BUT when we moved to Lincoln (after our stint in Virginia), we stayed at a friends' house. They fed us really yummy fish and we all went to bed. Their apt. was really hot, too (this was in the summer and they are skinny people so I think my family just sweats more), and one of those reasons (fish or heat) made Moose puke his guts out. I had been up reading late with a flashlight on one couch. Moose was across the room on another couch. Big A was on the floor on an air mattress. They were both asleep (this was well past 12am). I heard this weird sound and it took me a split second to realize it was Moose puking/gagging. He was laying on his back - he was about 20 months old at this point but for whatever reason continued to lay on his back while he puked. Ugh...

his head looks huge LOL but he was leaning forward, in his defense. And he's still adorable!  This weekend Big A & I are running our first race of the season: a half marathon. I'm nervous, as always, and excited. The weather should be pretty cool (in comparison to the heat we had last week), the route should be flat (!!!!), and so the wind is the only unknown factor. Any way, I'm hoping that with the flatness of it, I should be able to run a little faster than I have lately. Moose is doing really well in his "summer" school 2x a week. He always says he has fun, so that's good. It's funny, he eats breakfast here, goes there at 8:15 and has another breakfast. I'm ok with it because he normally has a morning snack and they don't there. So then we just eat an earlier lunch for him when he comes home. And I still have 2 days a week to just spend with Squirt - not that today means much as I've been packing for the weekend all morning. I hat...

We try to be relaxed during the summer (and we're pretty relaxed in fall, winter, & spring, too), especially as far as our schedules are concerned. However, I do have some resolutions: 1. go to the pool at least 3 times (we've gone a total of 0 times the past 2 summers). 2. read at least 3 books a month (for myself). 3. try to keep tv time for the boys <1 hour a day plus 1 full-length film per week (except during long travel times in the van). 4. keep Moose up at least one night to stargaze and look at fireflies. 5. take 1 nap a week (for me). 6. do at least 15 minutes of school stuff with Moose 3-4 days a week. 7. try to teach Squirt 3 colors (red, blue, yellow). 8. find a sitter for July 16 so Big A & I can go to a wedding by ourselves. 9. take Moose to his first movie = Cars 2 (are you surprised?). 10. throw a pretty sweet birthday party for my boys! What do you want to get done this summer?

Day Out With Thomas was so much fun! The boys had a blast...although we had some tears (darn you bounce house and not getting to see Sir Toppham Hatt). I promise I will write more once I get pictures off of my camera (so next weekend). But I did want to let you know about another opportunity to help out in Joplin, MO. TDM Wendy is hosting a Shop for Jop on her blog, so go here to check it out. Sorry I haven't been super active around the blogosphere lately. I'm still adjusting to summer and a new school schedule (Moose is attending school 2 days a week). It's different having him home more often and I'm just tired today. Not sure why but I do know that I cut my 8 mile run to 6 miles because my thighs couldn't take 2 more miles. They were sore (darn you Jillian).

One of the most frustrating things I've come across with Moose is knowing whether something he is doing or going through is due to his autism or his age. Him being my first born, I don't know exactly how other 3-year-olds (almost 4-year-olds) act necessarily. Also I can't just look at a kid and guess that they're his age because he's not the approximate size of other kids in his demographic. For example, his newest...frustrating quirk, I guess, is when I say something and he'll say the opposite. Example 1 Me: Time for bed. Moose: Time to play with cars. Example 2 Me: Sit down. Moose: Stand up! Example 3 Me: Sit down to poop. Moose: Time to pee! *big heavy stress induced sigh* Is this normal? It's not absolutely every time I tell him something, but it's a lot more often than I would like. How do I break this habit? I've tried telling him that it's rude or it's disobeying me. I don't know if he doesn't get it or doesn't care ...